Page 76 of Hunt Me

“Then why bother taking me with you?”

Unable to resist, I rolled my thumb through the salty bead, collecting it on the tip of my finger. When I pulled it into my mouth, she pursed her lips, an expression of disgust on her face. The possessive man inside of me knew no bounds. He also had no intentions of letting go of what already belonged to him.

“Why? Because I own you, Bristol. I’m going to enjoy breaking you. Two minutes.”

“I have news for you, Mikhail. No man can break me.”

I turned away. “I guess we will see.”

CHAPTER 19

Mikhail

The woman had a profound effect on me, something that would continue to annoy and intrigue me.

Her eyes were spun with fire, venom lacing her blood, and I could envision her trying to escape, kill me, or both. But there was no denying our strong connection.

As Bristol walked quickly toward her duffle bag, I had to smile. I would enjoy every aspect of using her, taking her in every way I desired. And yes, she would be broken.

She’d stirred the darkness within me.

Curse words slipped from her mouth as she jerked something from the contents, bending down to grab the fallen towel then giving me another hate-filled look.

When she cradled the clothing she’d selected and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door, I remained where I was, avoiding thoughts of hunger.

Very slowly I rubbed my eyes, the ache behind them keeping my anger just below the surface. The strong belief her father was somehow behind Sergio’s death lingered. He certainly hadn’t driven the knife into my friend, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been the catalyst.

The question remained. Who the fuck had killed Sergio? It was doubtful Connor had gotten his hands dirty. However, Sergio’s murder had been a warning, the reporters sent like vultures to stir the pot. There was nothing worse than being the target of a vicious game.

As I walked into the kitchen in hopes of finding something to drink, I returned my thoughts to Sergio. The fact I had no idea why he’d been killed instead of them going after me directly left me at a complete disadvantage. He hadn’t brought anything odd to my attention and there hadn’t been any overt threats.

Other than the usual assholes tossed from one of the clubs or casinos. Granted, it would be wise to talk with the various operations managers to ensure there wasn’t a pissed-off customer with strong connections to a syndicate or otherwise powerful organization.

Being as successful as we were as a corporation often meant we couldn’t keep our eyes on everything.

Finding a bottle of bourbon, I snagged a glass from the cabinet and I glanced at my watch before pouring a shot. I’d need to play this carefully given who her father was. However, if he was developing a commission to try to torch anyone involved in illegal sports betting, he’d need to be pulled down from his perch.

Bringing the stadium to Las Vegas had been a significant win, something the Dmitriyev Corporation had been a huge part of making happen. Yes, I’d heard the mayor had plans on running for governor, which would explain his sudden need to boost his lacking agenda, but to bite the hand that fed him wasn’t in his best interest. I’d also heard he’d gotten under several prominent businessmen’s skin, including the law firm representing us.

Either he had another hidden agenda or his confidence had soared. Was it possible he’d hired basic thugs to break into Sergio’s home to steal the little black book of files?

No one was above the law.

Even my sweet, voluptuous prisoner.

I swallowed half the glass, suddenly realizing more than two minutes had passed.

After slamming the glass on the table, I took long strides into the bedroom, surprised with myself when I stopped long enough to knock on the bathroom door.

“Bristol. Are you finished?”

“Almost. I’ll be right there.”

Hell, no. I heard the different lilt in her voice. I continued to underestimate her. That wouldn’t happen again.

I leaned closer to the door, remaining silent until a scraping noise caught my attention. With a grin on my face, I didn’t hesitate to kick in the door.

Her yelp was instant and she threw her head over her shoulder just as she tried to slip out the window.